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Kim Kardashian is seen on September 7, 2017 in New York City.Gotham/GC Images

This past spring, Kim Kardashian had a wake-up call. After enduring two uterine surgeries, the social media mogul had taken a 12-week break from working out. Then “awful” photos of her from a Mexico vacation flooded the internet. “I was already not feeling like myself,” the Selfish author said on The View. “And people were sharpening them and making them look way worse.”

Kardashian told herself it was time to “get it together.” But she wasn’t striving for a specific number on a scale. The mom of North, 4, and Saint, 20 months, had already lost the 60 pounds she’d gained during her second pregnancy, thanks to the low-carb, high-protein Atkins 40 program. Instead, she focused on sculpting her hourglass figure: “She has moved a lot more to strength training,” a source tells Us. “It’s about toning.”

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Sep 15, 2017 at 8:35am PDT

Like many things in the 36-year-old’s life, getting “the most fit I’ve ever been” as she recently described herself to Allure, began with social media. Kardashian came across a female bodybuilder on Instagram who “had an amazing transformation after she had a baby” and reached out, hoping the woman could guide her own evolution.

Under the athlete’s guidance, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star began getting up between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. to exercise for 90 minutes before her kids were awake. Regularly documenting her sessions on Snapchat, Kardashian pushes herself through sequences of TRX squat jumps, side steps with resistance bands and other sets of moves. “You have to do the work,” she has acknowledged. Adds the source, “She’s super goal-oriented.”

A post shared by Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) on Aug 30, 2017 at 4:48pm PDT

In addition to dedicating herself to fitness, the KKW Beauty founder also retooled her eating habits and shifted away from an all-or-nothing approach. “The No. 1 thing she has learned,” says the source, “is depriving yourself of things you love leads to falling off the wagon.”

Kardashian usually has small meals throughout the day, chooses healthy snacks (almonds and smoothies) and avoids noshing late-night. When she indulges, says the source, “she’ll treat herself to pasta — that will always be her cheat meal. She allows herself rewards.”